Series six of GSN’S High Stakes Poker came to a frantic end yesterday, with Tom Dwan in the thick of the action.
The replacement of charismatic co-host AJ Benza with Kara Scott may have dampened the banter off-felt, but the action was as intense as ever on it. Series six has seen the usual suspects, Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan and Phil Ivey, dominate proceedings. Daniel Negreanu’s rotten luck continued, as he succumbed to Mike Matusow in two monster pots. Meanwhile Lex ‘RaSZi’ Veldhuis was given a stern induction into the high stakes arena, unable to profit from a host of extravagant plays.
Veldhuis’s loose image paid dividends against seasoned tournament player Eli Elezra, as he scooped a $130k pot. On a 7
4
7
9 A board RaSZi (10 9) fired a big $37,000 river bet to draw a crying call from Elezra (3 3).
Elezra quickly redeemed himself however, exploiting Phil ‘OMGClayaitken’ Galfond’s reckless play. Despite being one of the strongest names online, receiving plaudits for his Bluefire Poker coaching videos, Galfond’s approach to High Stakes Poker has been curious to say the least. Believing Eli to be steaming from the previous hand, he called a $40k pre-flop raise by Elezra (K K) with a measly K
5. A disaster 9 9 K flop gifted Elezra a full house and Galfond two pair. Elezra fired $33k, drawing an instant call. The 9 on the turn spelt further trouble for Galfond, but both players checked to the river. The Q bricked on the end, prompting a $110k value bet from Elezra, and a shrewd fold from Galfond, who reasoned Eli had pocket ladies.
A family pot then saw Elezra and Dwan at loggerheads. With five players in the pot going into the flop, the board bricked 3 7 9. Elezra (Q Q) fired in $23,000, only to be re-popped to $71k by durrrr (9 7). With such a seemingly dry board, Elezra re-raised to $173k, drawing a quick all-in from Dwan. Elezra, a veteran of high stakes cash games having appeared in nearly every series, made the correct deduction that Dwan held either 10 8 for a straight draw or 9 7 for two pair. He made a superb lay down, and an impressed Dwan courteously flipped over his hand.
Durrrr continued to steamroller the field as he scooped a $255k pot from Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier. Dwan (A A) moved all-in on a 4 6 8 Q board, drawing a questionable call from Elky (A 6), who obviously thought Dwan had a spade draw. No miracle 6 spiked on the river, and Dwan raked in the pot.
For all the drama, High Stakes Poker series 6 has brought few surprises. Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey cemented their statuses as the world’s leading players, whereas Eli Elezra proved the old guard can still stand their own. Negreanu’s cash game prowess came under more scrutiny, whereas Elky and Galfond were found to be a little out of their depth.
You can catch up on the action here.